Many of us on ‘lockdown’ during the COVID-19 pandemic are taking to the local footpaths for our daily exercise. This amazing resource gives ready access to the local countryside with it’s farmland and wooded areas set amongst the rolling hills of South Gloucestershire.

Some of the paths are not marked clearly or the signs just run out in the middle of nowhere. And it’s not easy to know what to expect or how long it might take if you wander down a path you’ve not been along before. Below are links to some circular walks of 1 to 2 hours long. They all start and finishing at the Village Hall on Abson Road but you can join them wherever you want. Routes were surveyed by The Community Access Group(1) five years ago so some things might have changed but the route of the path will be the same.

Maps and directions are included but if you can get hold of the local OS Explorer Map number 155 Bristol & Bath (£8.99) it will be useful. Or, if you have an Android phone, you can download Maverick(2) which has the OS Explorer maps. Sorry but I don’t think there are any options for OS maps on Apple phones.

The image below shows the 10 walks that the Community Access Group surveyed. They are arranged like petals on a flower and the route back to Pucklechurch becomes the rout out on the next walk clockwise. Unfortunately not all the routes are documented but there are several to be getting on with. I hope to at least add a map of the missing walks of them in the next couple of weeks.

1. The Countryside Access Group was created out of an action in the Pucklechurch Community Plan and surveyed a number of paths to encourage use of the public rights of way through the wonderful countryside around Pucklechurch.

2. Maverick is an Android App developed for hiking. It shows a map with your location so you can see your progress as you walk. There are many different maps included but for walking in the UK it’s best to load the OS Explorer maps. After installing Maverick go to the setup menu (three vertical dots, top left) and “Maps” will be preselected. Click on “More maps...” and scroll down to “OS Explorer Maps” (It’s near the bottom and the maps are not in alphabetical order). That’s it, you should now see the map. If you have location services enabled you can click on the symbol on the left and it will centre you on the map. One tip – it’s better to use the (+) and (-) buttons the change the scale – you can pinch you fingers as well.